MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 15a: THE TOP TEN – #4

MUSICAL MAYHEM: MY TOP TWENTY-FIVE MUSICALS – Part 15a

THE TOP TEN – #4

NOTE: Due to the length of this entry, I'm dividing it into two parts. This is part one of two.

THE ORIGINAL

Groundbreaking. Innovative. Chilling. Thought-provoking. Marvelous. And still, tragically, so very relevant fifty-two years (in 2018) after it first burst onto the New York stage.

# 4: CABARET  – Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb

Cabaret spent the last 11 months of its run at the 1761 seat Broadway Theatre, a theatre about 600 seats larger than the more intimate 1156 seat Broadhurst Theatre where it started out.

The iconic original cast. Note Joel Grey's billing. In my opinion, the four top-billed actors (Sally, Cliff, Schneider, Schultz) are the leads in Cabaret. The Emcee is, and always will be, a supporting role.

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Broadway had never seen anything like it when Cabaret  opened at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York on November 20, 1966. The critics didn't quite know how to review a show that was a radical departure from musicals prior to this, and certainly didn't know how to react to a leading lady in a musical (Jill Haworth in her only Broadway role) whose vocal abilities were limited. Considering Cabaret's legendary status today, it's worth nothing that the show received favorable, but not across-the-boards raves when it opened. Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, Cabaret was, in a way, a musical with a split personality: part bawdy nightclub fare and part more traditional book musical with all the traditional trimmings of plot, subplot, and romantic interests. Some critics in 1966 had an issue with that. I didn't. What director Harold Prince and choreographer Ron Field accomplished in this groundbreaking production cannot be praised enough. Through his musical staging, Ron Field created a world teetering on the brink of the abyss that would become known as the Third Reich. Director Prince took the traditional book musical elements and added just enough twists and jolts to bring its plot-based characters and situations also to the edge of that coming abyss. Take for example, smooth-talking Ernst and his mysterious trips to Paris, the disturbing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" both as first sung by a group of waiters and then at the engagement party scene that closes Act One in which Nazi armbands make their first appearance, the rock thrown through Herr Schultz's fruit shop window, Sally's unheard-of-in-musicals abortion, the desperation of Cabaret's title song, the devastating regret and resignation in Fraulein Schneider's "What Would You Do?" No, it's not perfect. The original Cabaret skirts around the hedonism of pre-Nazi Berlin and plays it safe by being solidly heterosexual. So heterosexual, in fact, that when it's revealed that the Emcee played one of the kick-line dancers in drag in the number that opened the second act, the audience gasped in shock and then tittered in nervous amusement. (Not the first time drag had made a Broadway appearance, but still not an everyday thing.) "The Telephone Song," though cleverly and delightfully staged and which gave the ensemble a rare moment to shine, isn't really generic to the show. Kander and Ebb gave Herr Schultz a cloyingly saccharine number, "Meeskite," which I've always felt was there only to give the original Schultz, Jack Gilford, more to do. (Even when listening to the original cast album at the tender age of 16, I would usually skip over that number. Bugged the crap out of me then; bugs the crap out of me now.) And, of course, the substitution at the end of "If You Could See Her" of "she isn't a meeskite at all" instead of the original "she wouldn't look Jewish at all" because producer/director Prince was afraid of potentially offending the large Jewish theatre audience. (In the early 70s, Prince, in an interview, stated he regretted his decision and, thankfully, the original lyric has been restored.)

And now, let's travel to Berlin. New Year's Eve, 1929.

"Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome/Im Cabaret, au Cabaret, to Cabaret!"

– Shubert Theatre, Chicago

 The fabulous original artwork on the souvenir program. Never surpassed. 

"Meeskite" is mercifully gone. Sadly, so is "Why Should I Wake Up?" and the whimsical, yet pointed, original "The Money Song." I still miss the glorious singing of the waiters when they sing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." Check out the box about the intermission medley. 

December, 1968; January, 1969. Making an extended stop at the Shubert, the First National Company of Cabaret was a dazzling replica of the still-playing Broadway original. I was completely mad for Melissa Hart. She was a tart, big-voiced Sally, all brass and sass, and ultimately tragic. You left the theatre with the distinct feeling that, for her, life would never be a cabaret, old chum. Signe Hasso and Leo Fuchs were excellent as Fraulein Schneider and Herr Schultz (What are their first names? Does anyone know?) Charles Abbott made for an appropriately creepy Emcee. I had a crush on handsome Gene Rupert who played Cliff. Catherine Gaffigan and David Rounds were nicely villainy as Frl. Kost and Ernst. When the mirror swung down to reveal the audience during "Willkommen," well, this eighteen-year-old boy practically wet his pants. It was all just Too. Fucking. Awesome! So awesome, in fact, I saw it a month later on a weekend trip home from school. – at the Shubert Theatre, Chicago

THE PARENTS COME TO THE CABARET: In 1968, I took my parents to see Cabaret at the Shubert as their Christmas present. It was the first professional show for both of them. We schlepped up to the Shubert's Second Balcony, something I could do with ease back then and settled into our seats in the first row. Unsure what my parents' reaction would be, especially my dad's who grew up in southern/central Illinois, not exactly a haven for the fine arts, I was delighted when they told me afterwards that they loved it. Huh. Wow. Lesson: don't underestimate your parents. They may surprise you when you least expect it. (For the record, my down-home dad was crazy about The Wiz when we saw a touring company during a stopover in Milwaukee. Who knew I had a hip dad?)

THE STARS OF CABARET: Above-title stars Signe Hasso and Leo Fuchs were not exactly box-office names, but both had distinguished careers in theatre prior to leading the First National Company. Born in Sweden, Hasso was an acclaimed actress in America, Europe, and especially in Scandinavia. Fuchs was born in Poland and began his career at the age of five, distinguished himself in his native Poland, and became a staple on television and the stage. Melissa Hart became a Chicago favorite with this performance and subsequent performances in the Windy City, especially during the tour of Promises, Promises and the Forum Theatre's production of Company. She was Barbara Harris' standby during The Apple Tree, Mary Tyler Moore's standby during the aborted Breakfast at Tiffany's, played Sally on Broadway during Cabaret's final weeks, won a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for the short-lived Georgy, starred in numerous regional productions, and resides in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area where she remains active in theatre and teaches voice and conducts master classes. She last appeared on Broadway in 1997. Gene Rupert would later play the lead in Broadway's Promises, Promises, a performance I saw from the first row of the Shubert Theatre, and would appear in Jean Kerr's Finishing Touches on Broadway and on tour, which included a stop at the Studebaker Theatre. He appeared in television's Ryan's Hope, and, sadly, died in 1979 at the age of 48. David Rounds achieved his greatest fame in Morning's at Seven winning a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He died at 53 in 1983.

REVIEWER POLICE: The Chicago Tribune's William Leonard reviewed Cabaret, writing that "Never did a chorus line comprise a horsier set of girls than the homely, heavy-legged dames who kick through the coarse choreography." Uh…what? Wow. Can you say totally unacceptable? Yet, in 1966, gay men were called fags in reviews, male reviewers gushed over female physical attributes, and sexism and misogyny, overt and subtle, were the order of the day. Here's the kicker, though. Despite the homophobia, sexism, and misgogyny, for the most part, the men doing the reviewing (there weren't many women reviewers back then), knew their theatre, knew what made a show great, knew what made a show terrible, and relayed that information to their readers, unlike some reviewers/bloggers today who only have a vague idea what theatre is about.

– Stroud Auditorium, Normal, IL 

One of my most prized posters.

November, 1969. The Entertainment Board of Illinois State University, where I was going to school at the time, brought in popular entertainers of the day and, usually, a touring show or two. Under the auspices of the Entertainment Board, the bus-and-truck company of Cabaret swung through Normal for a two-performance Sunday. By happy coincidence, my parents were driving me back to Normal following the Thanksgiving break, and by even happier coincidence, they wanted to see the show again, too, so we went to the 2:30 matinee. Back then, the "A" bus-and-truck companies were all Equity and the quality was often as good as what you'd see in the fully-produced tours. With the original creative team on board, but adapted for quick, often daily, load-ins and strikes, and with direction and choreography by Hal Prince and Ron Field, this had the look and feel of the version I saw at the Shubert a year earlier. The cast size was slightly smaller, the Kit Kat Klub Kittens were reduced from four to three, and I remember lots of wagons being used to expedite scene changes, but the iconic mirror was there, and with a cast of superb professionals, the show was in excellent hands. Leading the cast as Sally Bowles was Tandy Cronyn, daughter of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. And, yes, she was quite marvelous. Jay Fox, a native of neighboring Bloomington and an alumnus of Bloomington's Illinois Wesleyan University, was an appropriately sleazy Emcee. – at Stroud Auditorium, Normal, IL

Sidebar: Stroud Auditorium would certainly not be anyone's first, second, or even third choice to house a musical of any size, let alone one the size of Cabaret. Primarily used as the auditorium for University High School (U-High), one of the lab schools associated with ISU, Stroud was rarely used for touring shows. (FYI, ISU, the oldest public university in Illinois, was called Illinois State Normal University until 1965, known and renowned for its teacher training programs. Today, it is also noted for having a highly-regarded theatre department.) Stroud, then and now, is an oddly designed venue, sort of thrust, but not really, with a huge space between the stage and the first row of audience seating. I don't remember, but the orchestra could have been there. When I was at ISU, touring plays were usually done at the traditionally-designed, but musty, Capen Auditorium in Edwards Hall, and touring musicals and concerts were usually performed on a portable stage set up in the Horton Field House. Cast, musicians, and tech staff for B&T companies deserve kudos for their ability to adapt to venues that frequently are not even remotely ideal.

Reviewer's Notebook: In its after-the-fact review of Cabaret, The  Pantagraph, the daily paper for the Bloomington-Normal area, justifiably made a big deal out of hometown boy Jay Fox's performance. In fact, he was almost the only actor in the show named in the review. Tandy Cronyn got this: "Oh, yes, Tandy Cronyn, the daughter of Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy, is the leading female and she is impressive…" The review was very positive, but had this curious assessment: "If you ever get a chance to see Cabaret…, you should do so. It has a sparkle, a charm about it that leaves one feeling good when he leaves the theater…" What show is reviewer Tony Holloway talking about? "Leaves one feeling good." Seriously, Tony? The Nazis are gaining in power, Sally has an abortion, and things are looking bleak for all involved, and you left the theatre feeling good? Were you at Hello, Dolly! and didn't know it? Different strokes, I guess, but I just have never thought of Cabaret as a feel-good show.

Some snaps from the Hasso/Fuchs/Hart Cabaret:

Some final thoughts…

Cabaret the film is not Cabaret the musical. Though sharing the same source material and composer/lyricist, they have different dramatic thrusts, with the film discarding or radically reducing some characters and adding others. It won a slew of Oscars and is beloved by many. I'm not among them. I admire the professionalism, some of Bob Fosse's imagery and directorial touches are masterful and memorable, and the new characters and storyline are well-done, but, overall, I find it calculated and a showcase for the miscast Minnelli rather than a showcase for the material. Minnelli's Sally is just too good a singer and just too charismatic a performer to be even remotely believable as a struggling singer in a third-rate Berlin dive. She wasn't Sally Bowles; she was Liza. Or more accurately, she was one of Minnelli's patented wounded-bird characters, like those in The Sterile Cuckoo and Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. I saw the film not too long ago after a period of twenty years or so, and it was a chore for me to get through it. Ah, well.

The original production of Cabaret would run for 1165 performances. It won eight Tony Awards, including the all-important Best Musical award. It spawned several national companies and quickly became a staple in regional and amateur theatre. The 1968 London company played a more modest engagement of 336 performances and starred Judi Dench, yes, that Judi Dench, as Sally Bowles. (The original London cast album is a stunner!) A revised version of the original, once again directed by Harold Prince and staged by Ron Field, opened in 1987 for a short, disappointing run, this time featuring Tony and Oscar-winner Joel Grey above the title. Jump ahead eleven years. In 1998, nearly thirty-two years after its Broadway premiere, a stunning revival of Cabaret would once again set the theatre world on its collective ear, proving beyond the shadow of a doubt, that everything old is new again. See part two…

© 2018 Jeffrey Geddes